Yes, I made Chocolate Haystacks. Gluten-Free Chocolate Haystacks. Dark Chocolate Haystacks. And they are gluten-free, grain free, dairy-free … oh, and good … as in really good. If you’re familiar with Haystack Treats, they’re usually made with butterscotch chips, which give the haystacks a more suitable golden color. However, not all butterscotch chips are gluten free. Most contain barley and, therefore, gluten. Plus, that butterscotch coloring doesn’t come naturally; it’s courtesy of “Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, and Blue 2 Lake.” No thanks. But I digress … a bit.

If you remember making Haystacks from your gluten-full days, you’ll also remember that chow mein noodles are required. They form the basis of the haystack structure, but chow mein noodles contain gluten, right? Well, yes, almost all brands do. Certainly any chow mein noodles that you can pick up in the Asian food aisle of your mainstream/basic grocery store or even your ethnic grocery store contain gluten. But now Goldbaum’s has come out with a gluten-free chow mein noodle. I didn’t know that I even needed gluten-free chow mein noodles in my life, but making these Chocolate Haystacks might have convinced me otherwise.

Let me back up a minute. Goldbaum’s sent my support group a complimentary package of products to try. Their new gluten-free Chow Mein Noodles were included. I didn’t have any Asian dishes in mind for our next meeting, but I did plan to make Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Chicken and Ham. Testing out the Chow Mein Noodles as “Crispy Noodles” like the ones I used to love in my Egg Drop Soup seemed like a good idea. I liked the addition to my soup. I didn’t think Goldbaum’s Chow Mein Noodles tasted quite as good as crispy noodles, but I and others agreed that the more we sampled them, the more we liked them.

It was a conversation with Jeanne (Art of Gluten-Free Baking) earlier the day of our support group meeting that inspired me to make these Chocolate Haystacks. Jeanne was our wonderful guest speaker. She had traveled cross country in conjunction with the release of her first cookbook, Gluten-Free Baking for the Holidays. (Jeanne’s latest cookbook is Gluten-Free Wish List.) She shared her gluten-free baking approach, new cookbook, divine gluten-free spritz cookies, and much more with my support group.

From the moment, I picked Jeanne up at the train station, we had done what girlfriends do … we had talked nonstop. As we prepared for my support group meeting, Jeanne saw the gluten-free chow mein noodles and commented that she had eaten some Chocolate Haystacks years ago, not realizing that they contained chow mein noodles and, of course, she had gotten glutened. When cleaning up from the meeting and storing the remaining chow mein noodles, it seemed only appropriate that I should plan for some safe, gluten-free Chocolate Haystacks in the near future.

True haystacks, the ones shown in Van Gogh’s famous Haystacks in Provence, are rarely seen these days. Well, at least in our area. Giant hay bales and some small square bales are usually the presentation of hay on our local farms and the ones we pass on the way to our mountain property (as shown above in a spring photo from a few years back). And some say that my Chocolate “Haystacks” don’t exactly look like haystacks; they’re right, of course.

When I shared the photo on my gfe Facebook page, one of my friends across the pond, Naomi (Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried), stated “They look like little campfires – especially the ones with cranberries (or cherry?) on top. I’m thinking that they would be great for Bonfire Night (November 5th UK).” Naomi is right about both the presentation of these treats and the cranberries on top, and I appreciate her compliment and her idea!

First, I don’t think anyone will mind that they look more like prone haystacks than standing ones, or little campfires. They do look like little campfires and would be great for a bonfire celebration. Being a camping gal, I love that! Second, those are cranberries (Craisins to be exact; I keep those on hand for Kathi’s Great Salad) on some of the treats and pistachios on top of others. So these could be Chocolate Campfires. Or I could have called these Chocolate Clusters.

Longtime gfe readers will know that I have a hard time choosing appropriate names for some of my recipes (e.g., Molasses Banana Bread … or Is It Cake?). Haystacks are seasonal though and tied back to the original chow mein noodle treats of long ago. Anyway, I quickly topped the treats with these little adornments after I placed them on the baking sheet to indicate what was inside each as I had made a few variations. (I also made some with pecans but didn’t have any pretty pecan pieces for topping.) Note that topping the treats is a great job for one of your kitchen helpers as you will have to work fairly quickly in just dropping the treats on the baking sheet before the chocolate hardens.

Have you noticed that I seem to be fixated on desserts of late? There’s a reason for that. Well, I should say more of a reason than usual because I always love desserts! Without further ado, here’s the recipe for Gluten-Free Chocolate Haystacks. Note that there are alternatives to gluten-free chow mein noodles if you can’t find those or don’t want to make your own. And they’re easy-to-find, equally delicious alternatives. Enjoy!

Instructions

Using the double-boiler method, melt chocolate in a large pan. Once chocolate is melted, remove pan from heat and immediately stir in other ingredients. Add additional amount of ingredients if needed to get haystack “clusters.”

Drop bite-size spoonfuls of mixture on prepared baking sheet.

Place baking sheet in freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes so haystacks will set.

Makes a little over a dozen 3-inch haystacks.

Full disclosure: Goldbaum’s provided the gluten-free Chow Mein Noodles free of charge to my support group, but the opinions expressed in this unsolicited review are strictly my own.

Oh, Shirley!!! I didn’t know there were gluten-free chow mein noodles:) My mom makes her haystacks with butterscotch morsels. My bad day is suddenly looking a lot brighter! Thanks for sharing this. I also take a lot of pictures of hayfields btw.

My mom always make a dozen or so varieties of cookies every Christmas, and she makes something similar. I believe hers are called bird’s nests. They’re always made with chocolate, and they have slivered almonds with the chow mein noodles. I think I knew other people called them haystacks, but never knew that butterscotch was involved to give them the proper color. Although I must admit, chocolate always beats butterscotch in my book, so I’m glad I’ve always had the chocolate version.

Hi Kalinda–Yes, there are bird’s nest cookies using chow mein noodles. These gf chow mein noodles are a little too large for bird’s nest cookies unless one were to break them (or unless the nest was an eagle’s nest!). I love that your mom uses chocolate and chow mein noodles PLUS slivered almonds. 🙂

My grandma used to make these every year — thanks for the trip down memory lane! There is a company in Wisconsin that makes GF chow mein noodles too, of course I can’t think of the name right now, but they sell them at Festival Foods. Thanks for sharing, Shirley!

Hey Sarah!–I was sure I’d replied to you—yikes! It’s wonderful when a post I share evokes lovely memories for a reader. It seems like this one is making quite a few smile thinking back to haystack versions that family members have made. 🙂 I’m really surprised that there are a few choices for gf chow mein noodles; I had no idea!

Hey Ricki, yes, these haystacks are pretty huge! The chow mein noodles don’t look that big/long by themselves, but when you add the chocolate and other ingredients, they quickly become more like mini-log jams. LOL We did enjoy them though! 😉

Oh these are too cute!! How perfect!! I am going to have to make your version now too. And now I really need to get my hands on some of those gf chow mein noodles! I used to make a yummy chow mein recipe years ago and would love to whip it up again, in a gf version!! Love your photos by the way! 😀 xo k

Hi Kim–Thanks on all, dear! Your comments always make my day! 🙂 We should have a party with all kind of variations on twig and chow mein noodle treats. Would that be some yummy fun? And, yes, if you have a great chow mein recipe, I’d say that you’d really enjoy making it again using these or one of the othe gluten-free brands. I’ll look forward to that on your site! Btw, I had some left over in the bowl and left them out uncovered overnight and I was able to re-crisp them in the oven at 400 degrees for a few minutes and just eat them as a cracker like snack. 😉

Thank you, Sarena! I hope you make them with your cuties (all three of them!) and you all enjoy them. I will be interested to see what you decide to put in yours. 😉

Hanging in there, but that’s only due to being overbooked. Small, no teeny tiny, potatoes with all the world has been going through of late. And all of my worries will ease up soon! Hugsss back! Shirley

I have never heard of chocolate haystacks but they certainly look good and they are a great idea for bonfire night – my Grandma, bless her, used to call it “The Plot” – after Gunpowder Plot. I love posts which bring back memories!

We still see traditional haystacks though they are getting more and more scarce.

Hi Vicky–Well, I’d never heard of bonfire night until Naomi mentioned it in her comment. That sounds like such a fun celebration! I’m embarrassed to say that Gunpowder Plot didn’t ring a bell with me. Some of the details are familiar, but it’s all a bit fuzzy in my history archives. 😉 I like how your grandmother had her own name for the event; that always makes things extra special. 🙂

I wondered if anyone from another country would say that they still had “real” haystacks. I love that you do, but I’m not surprised that they dwindling in number.

Hi Debra–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 This is a great fall recipe. Best of luck with living gluten free! Focusing on real food that’s naturally gluten free most of the time makes gf life much easier, tastier, and less expensive. These treats wouldn’t qualify for that description as they use a specialty item, but they are a delicious treat on occasion. 😉

About Shirley

Gluten free since June 2003, my passion is educating folks on gluten issues (celiac and more) and showing how eating gluten free can be easy if you focus on "real" foods versus processed and specialty foods.Read more...